The day of reckoning has finally arrived. Today, the much-lauded Barack Obama brand machine, which has been working around the clock to inspire and influence a global audience, will finally stand up and be counted. And so far, so good, with recent figures from CBS and the New York Times suggesting that 80 per cent of Americans feel positive about the next four years under the former Illinois senator. But while few would cast doubt on Obama’s personal sentiment during his stirring speeches, his success is by no means one solely of his own making.

Like all politicians, Obama has marketed himself to the max and earlier this week uniquely demonstrated the invaluable impact of a relatively new kind of branding. This technique uses music to represent a brand’s core beliefs and values – it’s about finding the sound of the brand. While we are all exposed to music in commercials on a regular basis, Sunday’s We Are One concert held at Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial, was a first-class demonstration of the importance of music branding on a different scale. The event proved to those in attendance and indeed, the rest of the world, how sound can not only trigger strong emotions but target any number of different groups and simultaneously unite them.

So what is the “Sound of Obama”?

To understand the sound of the brand ‘Obama,’ we need only look to the concert’s line-up. Even the least cynical of the new president’s fans would be hard pressed to dispute that the majority of these music artists had been handpicked to target all corners of US society – with some European inspiration thrown in for good measure.

The festivities kicked off with The Boss himself Bruce Springsteen, king of the rousing anthem and the face of America’s white working class. He led the proceedings with the post-9/11 missive and Grammy Award-winning hit The Rising accompanied by a gospel choir – the perfect tribute to the US’ gospel traditions and spiritualism.

Joining him was Pete Seeger, a veteran folk singer and political activist took to the stage, banjo in hand, proudly singing out This Land Is Your Land – originally a hit for another US folk legend, Woody Guthrie. Meanwhile, Stevie Wonder, the master of soul who appeals to music fans from all backgrounds but none more so than traditional black Americans, thrilled the crowd with a rendition of Higher Ground. Also invited to perform were Usher, will.i.am and Mary J Blige – themselves living out the American dream and inspiring a young black American generation who are today celebrating an occasion their parents and grandparents could once only have dreamt of.

Brand Obama even ensured it moved the hearts of its European market by inviting the legendary Irish band U2 to perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial -the same spot where Martin Luther King Jr made is famous ‘I Have a dream’ speech 46 years prior to President Obama’s Inaugural concert. They sang Pride (In The Name Of Love) – a song inspired by Martin Luther King Jr (coincidentally on a national American holiday in his memory); by a group that, through their own music production, have become almost synonymous with justice, humanity and hope. Beyonce’s powerful rendition of America the Beautiful provided a fitting finale to this impeccably branded and highly emotive celebration.

Team Obama’s decision to hold a concert, which brought together voters from every section of American society, represented everything the president stands for. Like the release of a new U2 album, the latest Harry Potter book or the arrival of Sony’s next PlayStation gaming console, there are unimaginably high expectations for this new brand, which has changed the face of history before the White House starting pistol has even sounded. Sunday’s event served to capture the sound of the brand Obama, allowing US and indeed world citizens from any number of ethnic backgrounds and beliefs to stand side by side with a common understanding that they were, simultaneously, witnessing the end of an era and a new beginning.

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Obama – In Tune With the World? is a post from: soundlounge

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A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

Who was this mystery violinist in the metro station?
The person who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother, hurried him, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children – all the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100 each. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organised by The Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognise the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing – does life choke the poetry out of us?

Or perhaps we can be more forgiving and say that it more a matter of context. Do we only truly appreciate art when it is presented to us within the correct setting: classical music within the confines of the concert hall, paintings in an art gallery etc. – are our lives so busy and our heads so full, that we need to set-aside time to fully appreciate what is around us?

Brian Kelly, Creative Director
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Are We Deaf To Music? is a post from: soundlounge